This invention relates generally to the field of chairs and seats and more particularly to an improved crash load attenuating aircraft passenger seat.
The known types of energy attenuating seats which have been developed for pilots and troops in military helicopters are not applicable for passengers in transport or other fixed wing aircraft. For example, pilots seats, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,805, issued Apr. 24, 1979 to Bernard Mazelsky, are supported from a fixed floor mounted framework and an energy attenuating system provides stroking or relative motion of the seat with the fixed framework. However, such a pilot energy attenuating seat is not suitable for use as a passenger seat in an aircraft having a plurality of passenger seats because of weight limitations. Also, in a crash of the aircraft, the seats of all the passengers except those in the front row, would be stroked in a forward direction to cause impact of the occupants with the fixed framework of the passenger seat directly in front of these occupants.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,143, issued Feb. 25, 1975 to myself, a side-facing energy attenuating seat for troop carrying aircraft is disclosed. These troop seats are suspended from the ceiling and stroke relative to the ceiling in a crash. These energy attenuating troop seats thus require a ceiling which will withstand the attenuator loading, and in which there is sufficient strength to provide anchor points for the seats which will react to forward loading. Consequently, these energy attenuating troop seats are not suitable to high bay, light structured type aircraft. Also, these energy attenuating troop seats do not include a reclining seat back such as is generally included for passenger aircraft seats.